Horace l



(No Model.)

H. L. FREEMAN. FURNITURE TIGHTENING DEVICE.

N0.505',9'79. Patented Oot. 3,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE L. FREEMAN, OF LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR TO BA'XTERSHEMWELL, OF SAME PLACE.

FURNITURE-TIGHTENING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,979, dated October3, 1893 Application filed 51115241893. Serial No. 478,793. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HORACE L. FREEMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lex ington, in the county of Davidson and State of NorthCarolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFurniture-Fastening Devices; and I do declare the follow-' ing to be afull, clear,,and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention is an improvement in furniture tightners and the object ofthe invention is to provide means for tightening or clamping togetherthe opposite sides and legs of chairs, tables bedsteads and similararticles of furniture.

I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings in whichFigure 1 is a plan view of my invention as applied to the framework of abedstead for tightening the same. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view similar toFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view or edge view of the device and Fig. 4 is aview at right angles to Fig. 3.

In the drawings A, A are the sides and end pieces of the frame of thebedstead respectively, these parts being representative of any frameworkof an article of furniture which it is desired to tighten, and A are thecorner posts or legs.

The clamping device or tightening device is connected to the differentparts of the framework by wires and so arranged that its operationserves to draw all parts to which it is connected toward the center. Itconsists essentially of two parts B, B substantially the shape of wingedcollars, which have a clamping bolt 0 passing through the openings inthe collars, these openings being large enough to permit the clampingbolt to slide freely therein. The wings I) of the collars B, areconnected by toggle levers D substantially as shown. The bolt is headedat one end as shown at C and at the other end is screw threaded andprovided with a thumb nut O by means of which the collars B may be drawntogether thus forcing the toggle levers apart.

For connecting the device to the framework by the wires I provide eyebolts or eye screws in the corner posts of the framework as shown at Ethrough which the wires are passed and also provide projections F fromthe upper face of the toggle arms over which the wires are designed topass as will be hereinafter described. These projections are in the formof rivets which extend up but a short distance above the face of thearms and are provided with overhanging heads which form grooves c forthe reception of the Wires. I prefer to use one wire which passesthrough the eye bolts in the posts upon one side of the frame and thenceover the rivets on the arms engaging the grooves previously mentionedand from this point is carried through the eye bolts upon the other sidewhere the two ends may be united as shown.

When applied to the framework of the article to be tightened and beforethe tightening effect is produced the collars B are at their greatestdistance from each other. In order to draw the posts, side pieces andend pieces of the frame together it is only necessary to screw up thethumb nut O which will cause the collars B to advance and move theprojections which engage the wires toward each other thus drawing uponthe wires and through them upon the corner posts and causing them to bedrawn tightly together. In order to provide additional tightening meansfor the framework I provide cross wires G which are connected to eyebolts H in the sides of the frame intermediate the eye bolts E, theseserving to force the side pieces tightly against the ends of the slats.The other ends of these wires are secured to projections I, which Iprefer tohave in the form of extensions of the pivots which connect thetoggle arms, and are provided with eyes 2', serving to guide theoverlapping wires. These wires as will be observed overlap each other,the wire which is connected with the frame upon one sidebeing connectedto the projection I upon the opposite side and thus when the clampingnut C is operated and the pivots of thetoggle levers forced apart theinner ends of these wires will be drawn in opposite directions. I havealso provided perforations b in the collars B and wires maybe extendedfromthese perforations to eye bolts K in the end pieces of the bedstead.

1 claim as my invention- 1. A tightening device, consisting of the adjusting bolt, the winged collars movable thereon, the thumb nut engagingthe bolt, the toggle levers having their inner ends pivoted together andtheir outer ends pivoted to the wings of the collars, the set oftightening wires connected to the bed frame and to the toggle levers,and the set connected to the wings of the collar and to the bed frame,as set forth. 7

2. A tightening device consisting of the adjusting bolt, the thumb nutsthereon, the winged collars movable on the bolt, the toggle levershaving their outer ends pivoted together and their inner ends'pivoted tothe wings of the collars, the projections on the toggle levers, the bedframe, the eyes on the frame, the continuous wire engaging the eyes atthe corners of the frame and the projections on the levers and the wiresengaging the eyes at the ends of the frame and connected to the wings ofthe collars.

3. A tightening device for furniture comprising the adjusting bolt thethumb nut, the winged collars on the bolt, toggle levers connecting thewings of the same, a clamping bolt passing through the openings in thecollars, projections carried by the levers, a continuous wire engagingsaid projections and passing through eye bolts located upon the cornerposts of the framework of the furniture, projections extending from thepivot points of the toggle levers and wires connecting each of saidprojections with the frame upon the opposite side, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

W. 1). SMITH, JNo. l-I. MOYER.

